Video: Profile of a Completely Blind Hunter
OutdoorHub Reporters 07.06.14
Carey McWilliams is an author, marksman, and avid hunter. At age 10, a late-blooming birth defect caused him to become blind. This did not stop McWilliams from developing a passion for firearms, joining the Civil Air Patrol, becoming a proficient shooter within the Army ROTC, and achieving international fame in 2001 by obtaining a concealed weapons permit. He is considered the first blind person to do so.
But one thing McWilliams had not been was a hunter. That was an activity he took up later in life after a traumatic dog attack that left him with a severe case of PTSD. McWilliams’ doctor suggested he take up predator hunting to get a handle on his fears, and that soon became another passion for the blind marksman.
But how does a blind man hunt live game?
“The distances and conditions in which you will be taking down game big or small are not at all like hitting paper targets at the firing range,” McWilliams said on his website. “With every species you hunt, new weapons and techniques need to be put into place to be successful in the field. Know your weapon well and accept the fact that your target is alive and this is a 3-d world where the game has a 4 out of 5 chance of getting away from even the best hunter.”
The gunslinger gives a detailed description of why and how he shoots over at careymcwilliams.com. VICE profiled him in the video below.
